Madrid, Spain – A national march is scheduled to take place in Madrid next Saturday, November 15th, in support of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence. The march is being organized by the Spanish Solidarity Movement with the Sahrawi People.
Spanish human rights activist Manuel de la Rosa Fernandez stated that the demonstration marks the 50th anniversary of the Madrid Accords, signed on November 14, 1975. According to Fernandez, the agreement facilitated Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara.
Organizers are urging broad participation from labor unions, social organizations, international solidarity groups, and leftist bodies. De la Rosa stressed that this is an opportunity to remind the Spanish government of its political obligations to push for a fair resolution through a referendum, allowing the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to independence and sovereignty over their land and resources.
According to a statement from the march organizers, Spain, the former administering power of the territory until 1975, has failed to implement UN resolutions regarding self-determination for the Sahrawi people. The statement asserts that the Madrid Accords were illegal and handed the territory over to Morocco and Mauritania before Morocco assumed sole control.
The UN considers Spain the legal administering power of Western Sahara, while Morocco is viewed as an occupying force. The movement emphasizes that Madrid has failed to repay any historical debts to the Sahrawi people over the past fifty years and has not pressured Morocco to implement UN resolutions and hold a referendum on self-determination.
The organizers are also demanding the release of Sahrawi political prisoners, including the Gdeim Izik group, and accountability for those responsible for drone attacks on civilians. They are calling for the establishment of international accountability mechanisms, including an independent human rights monitoring body with regular reports to the European Parliament. They insist on the full implementation of European Court of Justice rulings and an end to the exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources.
